Charlesworth Nursery & Garden Centre, Glossop Road, Charlesworth, Derbyshire, SK13 5HB

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
• whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the development having regard to the development plan policies
• the effect of the proposed development on biodiversity
• whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal met the limited infilling exception in paragraph 149(e) of the Framework and the biodiversity harm was not significant, such that the benefits of housing delivery outweighed the limited environmental harm when assessed against the Framework as a whole.

The modest social benefits of providing two new homes, short-term economic benefits from construction, and environmental benefits from hedgerow and bat/bird box provision outweighed the little weight attached to the small loss of poor-quality biodiversity habitat, resulting in permission being granted.